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Background Canola seed is a substantial input cost Canola emergence is often only 40-70% of planted seed Slow seeding speeds (4 mph) have been shown to increase canola emergence -- but farmers need to seed large areas in a short time period How important is seeding speed, seeding depth, and opener type on resulting canola emergence?

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Study 2 – 2011 results Good soil moisture at Lethbridge, St. Albert and Zealandia Excessively wet at Indian Head and Brandon (not seeded until July) Canola emergence varied from 47% at Indian Head to 89% at Brandon No differences among opener types at any site

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Summary Opener type : – No differences in canola emergence in 2011 – Significant differences in 4 of 5 sites in 2012 – Inconsistent results in terms of a superior opener – All openers usually performed well! Seeding speed (6 vs. 4 mph) : – Reduced emergence in 20% of cases in 2011 – Reduced emergence in 33% of cases in 2012 Farm trials : – General trend of reduced canola emergence with higher seeding speeds in Alberta – 13% of farms in 2011 and 25% of farms in 2012 had reduced emergence with higher speeds in Saskatchewan – Excellent soil moisture may have been the great equalizer in these studies